


Fate/Grand Night

by DONTSALTME69



Category: Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms, Fate/stay night - All Media Types, Fate/stay night: Unlimited Blade Works (Anime 2014)
Genre: (specifically the anime), Action, Alternate Universe, F/F, F/M, Gen, Nasu holds no power here, Set after Unlimited Blade Works, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-04
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-15 08:15:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,019
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28560402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DONTSALTME69/pseuds/DONTSALTME69
Summary: Chaldea. A group dedicated to protecting the continued existence of humanity. Rin Tohsaka had been interested in them for a fair amount of time, but their latest mission finally got her to actually make the trip to Antarctica to see what was up with them, bringing her husband Shirou with her.
Relationships: Emiya Shirou/Tohsaka Rin
Comments: 8
Kudos: 29





	Fate/Grand Night

As far as magical organizations go, Chaldea was one that Rin Tohsaka had been keeping her eye on for a long time. While there were some families she had kept tabs on out of curiosity, Chaldea was the one group she was the most genuinely interested in.

It was hard to blame her, given the idea of protecting humanity's future being rather grandiose (and something her husband approved of). As such, when the news of them going on a mission and needing Mages for it, she was quick to come. Of course, due to issues with traveling, she ended up being among the last to actually arrive, alongside her husband.

"It's still crazy to me that this place even exists." Shirou remarked as they walked down a hallway on their way to the orientation.

"Humanity likes to take its destiny into its own hands. Chaldea is more or less just that idea made manifest." Rin said.

Shirou shrugged. "I suppose, but..."

"Fou..."

"You heard that, right?" Rin asked.

"Fou..."

"Yeah. Is it... some kind of animal?" Shirou wondered.

"Fou..."

"What kind of animal would be living here?"

They turned a corner to see the animal in question, a strange white creature that didn't really look like any specific animal they've ever seen. The best term they had was 'squirrel' which said creature almost certainly was not. It was currently licking the cheek of an orange-haired teenage girl; dressed in a white outfit and sleeping on the floor.

As Shirou and Rin arrived, so did another girl; with lavender hair that covered one eye and glasses.

The orange-haired girl made a sound, waking up. "Five more minutes..." She mumbled, shifting in an attempt to find some comfort. And then she realized she was sleeping on the floor.

"Good morning." The lavender-haired girl said, offering her hand to help the other one up. "Or afternoon, but that's beside the point."

"I'm guessing you're both Master Candidates." Rin said, approaching them.

The orangette shrugged. "I think so? The guy was super-duper vague about the details, but I think that's what I'm supposed to be doing."

The other one nodded. "Yes. I presume you're Rin Tohsaka?"

Rin smiled. "I see somebody did their research."

"Then that man is..."

"Shirou Emiya." Rin answered. "My husband."

"Hey." Shirou said, raising a hand.

"Welcome to Chaldea. I am Mash Kyrielight." The lavender-haired girl said.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Kyrielight." Rin said, bowing slightly.

"So, why were you sleeping on the floor?" Shirou asked, looking at the orange-haired girl.

Said girl yawned. "I had to take a sixteen hour flight here from Japan. Kinda jet-lagged." The girl explained. "I'm Ritsuka Fujimaru, apparently a first-generation Mage?"

Rin stared at her. Did they seriously hire a girl who barely even knew about magecraft? She understood they needed a lot of help, but this felt... wrong. And rather familiar, given that Shirou was basically in the same boat during the Holy Grail War.

* * *

They headed to the orientation not long after, where they met Olga Marie Animusphere, the Director of Chaldea.

Three things happened in quick succession during the presentation.

1: Olga didn't like Shirou for being a weak Mage.

2: Ritsuka fell asleep again. Which angered Olga for obvious reasons.

3: Rin actually slapped Olga for disliking her husband.

Needless to say, those three got thrown out of the room and were off the mission. So, with nothing better to do, they decided to head to their rooms.

Once they were in the privacy of their (shared) room, Rin and Shirou decided to have a talk.

"So, that didn't go... great." Shirou said.

"I am not apologizing to her." Rin stated. "She deserved it."

"Rin, that doesn't mean you should've slapped her."

"Probably. But I am not letting anyone insult you like that. You're deserve better than that."

A few minutes later, the entire building shook; lights shutting off for a few moments before the emergency power kicked in. Shirou and Rin sprinted out the door, seeing Ritsuka running out with some man in a labcoat.

They didn't bother questioning it, running towards where they heard the source of what shook the building was. The Rayshifting room, where all the Master Candidates were supposed to go to warp to the Singularity.

The three made their way in, trying to search for anyone who in need of help. Which, by all appearances, was every single person in that room.

Rin and Shirou figured out that something had exploded, given the debris that had fallen from the ceiling and the flames burning around them. The question of what caused the explosion would have to wait.

Ritsuka rushed to a particularly large chunk of rubble. Before the others could question why, they saw what was under it.

Mash Kyrielight. Her lower half was underneath the rubble, most likely crushed to the point of being irreparable.

"Fujimaru-senpai?" She questioned.

Ritsuka tried to lift the rubble off of Mash to help her crawl out. It was a fruitless endeavor. The hunk of concrete was far too heavy for any human to lift, and it was also scorching hot to the point where it burned her hand on contact. Shirou and Rin moved in to help, but even they couldn't lift the thing off Mash.

The doors sealed to prevent the fire from spreading. They were trapped.

"Sorry. Looks like I couldn't help." Ritsuka said. "I'm supposed to be a mage or whatever, but I can't even lift a stupid rock."

"Don't beat yourself up about it. Shirou and I are experienced Magi and even we can't get her free." Rin said. ' _Or_ _ourselves_.' She mentally added, glancing at the doors. She was really starting to regret not bringing any of her stronger gems for this. She doubted Shirou could break them either, even if he projected the strongest Noble Phantasms he could create.

Ritsuka held Mash's hand, trying to give her a reassuring smile.

" _Master Candidates, selected. Master Number 48, Ritsuka Fujimaru, prepare for Rayshift. Master Number 49, Rin Tohsaka, prepare for Rayshift. Master Number 50, Shirou Emiya, prepare for Rayshift._ "

The voice was a pre-recorded message, coming from one of the few speakers in the room that hadn't been destroyed.

" _First Order, commencing_."

They each saw a swirling vortex of light as space shifted.

* * *

Ritsuka found herself in a burning city, the skies completely blocked off by smoke.

She heard a rattling sound coming from a ruined building, looking for an escape route. She was in the middle of the street, with no cover to speak of whatsoever. While she wasn't particularly knowledgeable about combat, she knew that this meant she was easy pickings for anyone with a ranged weapon. Or with a weapon. Or just plain stronger than a teenage girl.

A skeleton, reanimated by magic, leapt out of the ruins with a rusty sword; wildly swinging at her. She barely managed to duck under the first strike, desperately scrambling to get away from the monster before her.

More skeletons came out of the shadows, each ready to attack. And attack they did, lunging at her with all the ferocity you'd expect of the undead.

Ritsuka closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable.

Which never came. She heard the sound of metal grinding against metal, followed shortly by bones shattering. Ritsuka opened her eyes to see Mash Kyrielight, wearing strange black and purple armor and wielding an enormous shield that was vaguely shaped like a cross. Mash used the weapon like a club, smashing through each and every skeleton like they were nothing more than paper maché.

"M-Mash?" She weakly questioned. "I thought you were..."

"I'll explain later. For now, just focus on staying away from the skeletons!" Mash shouted, slamming the bottom of her shield down onto a skeleton and crushing it into dust.

* * *

As for Shirou and Rin, they ended up appearing elsewhere in the city.

As their teenage selves, much to their shared shock. Which was cut short by them hearing the sounds of fighting coming from nearby.

It was Olga Marie Animusphere, battling against a group of skeletons. Shirou and Rin joined in, destroying a pair of skeletons that were trying to attack Olga from behind.

"Of course the only people that would be here when I Rayshift are you two." Olga muttered. "And why the hell are you two teenagers now?"

More skeletons arrived, surrounding them.

"We can talk later." Rin said, firing a Gandr shot that blasted a skeleton's head clean off.

Before the battle between Mages and skeletons could truly begin, Mash arrived; crushing a skeleton beneath her shield as she leapt into the fray.

The skeletons were ground to dust in very short order thanks to Mash, and Ritsuka came out from behind the piece of rubble she was hiding behind to talk with the others.

"Mash... it looks like the Heroic Spirit's granting you strength." Olga noted.

"Yes. He spoke to me when I was pinned under the rubble, and once the Rayshift was complete I found myself like this." Mash said, before looking up. She brought up her shield, blocking a barrage of arrows that had come from at least a mile away. "I suggest we find a safer position before continuing our discussion."

Off in the distance, a man with white hair lowered his bow.

* * *

The five took refuge in a building that stood on top of a leyline, Olga trying to get communications set up with Chaldea.

"So, how much do you know? They had to have explained at least a little to you before sending you to Chaldea." Rin asked.

Ritsuka shrugged. "Not much. I'm apparently a first-gen Mage with crazy high compatibility for something. I don't even know how to actually use any magic."

"That figures." Rin muttered. "Anyway, Chaldea exists to protect humanity's future by observing the presence of humans. As long as they can see our existence in the future, humanity is guaranteed to survive."

"I understand." Ritsuka said, nodding. She didn't actually understand at all,but she didn't want to say that out loud. "And I'm fueling Mash somehow? So she can beat up bad guys and stuff?"

"Yeah. But... I'm surprised you're able to do it." Shirou said. "When I became a Master, I couldn't supply my Servant at all, but Mash seems to be doing just fine."

"Most likely it has something to do with how exactly her magic works. If your element is Sword, Shirou, and you're better at Projection than just about anyone in the world, then perhaps hers is something akin to Familiar or Hero." Rin suggested. "At least, that's my current theory."

A holographic screen appeared in front of Olga, displaying the image of that man Ritsuka was with before the explosion.

"Thank goodness. Director Animusphere, what's your status?" He asked.

"Mash Kyrielight, Ritsuka Fujimaru, Rin Tohsaka, Shirou Emiya, and I have all Rayshifted into the Singularity. The Heroic Spirit that was meant to merge with Mash is now giving her power." Olga informed. "Now then, why are you the one picking up? Don't we have people higher ranked than you stationed-"

"I'm the highest ranked person left. The explosion either injured or killed everyone above me aside from you."

"Fine. What about the other Master Candidates?"

"Still sorting through them, but it isn't good. Should we-"

"Yes. I'll deal with the fallout later. For now, transfer us some materials so we can make an attempt at Summoning and get to work."

The feed shut off.

"All right. Fujimaru, time to pull your weight." Olga said, handing Ritsuka a rainbow-colored gem. "You are going to summon a Heroic Spirit to back Mash up."

"Director, are you sure she can handle it?" Mash asked.

"She should be fine. We're only using her to summon. Once that's handled, we can transfer the contract over to Tohsaka."

The summoning commencing not long after, with one question on everyone's minds. What sort of Heroic Spirit was going to be summoned? They didn't have a catalyst, so it was just a matter of compatibility.

Ritsuka wanted one thing more than anything from this summon: a teacher. Someone who could help her make sense of everything that's going on. This more or less guaranteed a Caster-class Servant.

As for the specific Caster...

She was a woman wearing a dark cloak over a purple dress. Shirou and Rin instantly recognized who this Servant was.

"Caster class, Medea. I've-" She noticed Shirou and Rin standing behind her Master. "Oh. You two."

" _Caster_." Rin hissed. "Of all the Servants she could've summoned, of course you'd show up."

"You two know each other?" Ritsuka asked.

"Unfortunately." Medea said. "We were enemies in a Holy Grail War."

"Well, you're gonna have to put aside your differences. I don't really know what you can do, but I'd really like your help." Ritsuka said, offering a hand. "So, you okay with helping out?"

Medea stared at Ritsuka's hand for a few moments. "Very well then. I will be your staff to complement that girl's shield." She took Ritsuka's offer, shaking her hand.

A few moments passed, with everyone besides Ritsuka silent.

"Also, I am aware of your plan to transfer my contract over to Tohsaka." Medea added. "A reasonable idea, but unnecessary. My Master can provide all the mana necessary for both me and the Demi-Servant."

* * *

Rin honestly wasn't sure if she could even believe what Medea was saying. While she understood that; despite the moniker 'Witch of Betrayal', Medea would only betray an unkind Master, it didn't change the fact that they were enemies last time they met. The idea of a person being able to maintain multiple Servants wasn't unheard of either, if exceedingly unlikely for a first-generation Mage.

Was it paranoia for her to not trust the Caster? Probably. Did that mean she was wrong? That remained to be seen.

Shirou also didn't trust Caster, but that mostly just meant that he stood between her and Rin to act as a shield for his wife in a worst case scenario.

"Where even are we anyway?" Ritsuka asked, glancing at a big red bridge that they were approaching. Said bridge was the landmark that instantly made Shirou and Rin realize where they were.

"Fuyuki City, Japan." Olga answered. "In the year 2004, to be exact."

"I've never even heard of the place. Why'd we time travel here?"

"There was a fight over the Holy Grail here in this time." Rin explained. "Shirou and I were both participants in it."

"And there's been a distortion in this time, which is why we were Rayshifting here." Olga said. "Which you would have known if you stayed awake during the briefing."

"Hey, I had to stay up for eighteen hours flying to Chaldea from Japan!" Ritsuka said, glaring at Olga. While doing that, she collided with a stone statue.

The statue tipped over and shattered, spilling out human entrails. Ritsuka paled, staring down at the decaying remains. Mash leapt to Ritsuka's side, blocking a scythe that was hurled at her.

"Pity. Your death would have been instant, had your Servant not blocked my strike." The wielder of the scythe, a woman with pink hair, said as she pulled the chain attached to the weapon to bring it back to her hand. Shirou recognized her as looking like the Rider of his Holy Grail War, but she didn't seem the same.

"Based on that weapon, I'm guessing you're a Lancer." Medea remarked. "Master, your orders?"

Ritsuka snapped out of her shock. "Mash, get up close and personal. Caster, hurt her."

The battle began the moment Ritsuka finished her sentence, with Medea taking to the sky as Mash approached Lancer. Lancer lunged, her scythe being met by Mash's shield. Mash pushed Lancer back, swinging her shield like a club to strike back.

The strike forced Lancer back, which in turn left her open for a blast of magic from Medea. The blast was fairly low power due to circumstances, but it still did some damage nonetheless.

Lancer switched targets, hurling her scythe at Medea while staying on the move to keep out of Mash's range. Medea dodged the attack, only for Lancer to yank on the chain and change its trajectory. This second move grazed Medea, creating a shallow cut on her leg. Lancer pulled the chain to return her weapon to her, dodging another swing of Mash's shield while doing so.

Scythe met shield again as Lancer went on the offensive in an attempt to overwhelm Mash.

Shirou decided he had enough of sitting on the sidelines, preparing to engage.

"I see you three ladies are having fun." A man said, followed shortly a fireball being shot at Lancer; who jumped back and dodged it. "Mind if I cut in?"

"Lancer?!" Shirou exclaimed, projecting Kanshou and Bakuya in preparation for battle. 'Lancer' walked out of a ruined building. He was definitely the Lancer from the Fifth Holy Grail War that Shirou and Rin were familiar with, but different at the same time. Between his staff and the fireball, it was pretty easy to figure out what his current Class was.

"I wish. Sadly, I've been summoned as a Caster in this Holy Grail War." Cu Chulainn said, aiming his staff at Lancer. "I've already taken care of Assassin and Rider, so how about we see about making it three for three?"

Lancer smirked. "That's bold words coming from someone like you." She suddenly closed the distance, preparing to taking Cu Chulainn's head off. 

And then she was hit with an explosive trap, severely burning her. "I took the liberty of setting up a trap before I made my entrance into the battle. Worked like a charm on you, it seems." Cu said, watching as Lancer picked herself up. "So, are you gonna try to run, or are you gonna fight?"

"I haven't lost yet-"

A second explosive trap burnt her to ash.

"I also set up another rune to take care of you. Takes a little longer to activate, but it's worth it." Cu added, watching Lancer fade away.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Ritsuka cheered. "You all were like 'woosh! Fwoom! Pew! Boom!' And then he was all cool and stuff and beat that Lancer lady in like no time at all!"

"I aim to please, little lady." Cu said, bowing a little. "And I'm surprised to see some more humans again. Thought you all vanished after Saber took the Grail."

* * *

Cu Chulainn gave them a basic rundown of the situation once they were in a safe place.

In short, Saber had acquired the Holy Grail and was corrupted by its mud. Not long after, she used the Grail's power to corrupt all of the other Servants in the war, barring the Caster Cu Chulainn. When asked about the people of Fuyuki, he simply answered with:

"They just up and vanished once Saber got the Grail."

Which more or less concluded his side of things. The Chaldeans explained what happened on their end, which left them with the question of what to do next.

"It's obvious, right?" Olga said. "We take care of every Servant in our way and take the Holy Grail to repair the Singularity. Our plan hasn't changed in the slightest."

Ritsuka raised her hand. "What's a Singularity?"

Olga sighed. "Why did I have to be stuck with you of all people?" She questioned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "It's basically a point of time that's been altered, which disconnects it from proper history in a way that can wreak havoc on the present. The entire reason why we were Rayshifting here in the first place."

"Oh. Sorry I don't know much-"

"Don't bother. You were hired to fill a quota more than anything, so I don't expect you to know much. I'll be chewing out whichever staffer let you in once this is all over." Olga said, actually giving a small smile.

* * *

"So, little lady, what is your True Name anyway?" Cu asked. They were walking up to Ryuudou Temple, where the Holy Grail was located.

"Mash Kyrielight." Mash answered. "As for the Heroic Spirit inside me... I don't know. He gave me his power, but he never told me his name nor the name of his Noble Phantasm."

"That is a problem. If you don't know its name, you can't even use it to its full potential." Medea noted.

"I could throw my Noble Phantasm at her and see if she figures it out that way." Cu suggested.

"Please don't." Ritsuka said.

Cu shrugged.

Trailing behind the rest of the group was Shirou and Rin, who needed to talk about something personal.

"Rin... do you think that it's really Saber that's behind this?" Shirou asked.

Rin was silent for a few seconds, taking her time to answer. "As much as I hate to say it, probably. You remember was had happened to the Grail in our war. If that stuff corrupted Saber, she'd be capable of doing this." She said. "The only question is what her goal is."

"Yeah. Saber's goal was to use the Grail to undo her reign as king." Shirou paused for a moment. "Maybe somebody else is pulling the strings."

"That's the only thing that makes sense to me. Saber wouldn't do this for no reason at all."

A hologram of Doctor Roman appeared in front of Olga via a device on her wrist, causing her and Ritsuka to stop.

"Director Animusphere, I've put the survivors in cryostasis as ordered." He informed.

"How many?" Olga quietly asked.

Roman sighed. "Of the roughly fifty Master candidates... ten of them were killed. The remaining ones are all in critical condition and won't survive being thawed out without an expert healer. As for the staff... only ten percent of them are in the condition to not need cryostasis. Sixty percent survived, albeit in critical condition and had to be frozen. As for the remaining thirty..."

"I'll contact their families once this is over and send them enough money to make sure they can live comfortably in the wake of their losses."

"Ritsuka, are you all right?" Roman asked. "You look pale."

"She's been supplying two Servants with magical energy for the past hour and a half, after having never used her Magic Circuits once in her life prior. I'm honestly surprised she's holding out as well as she is." Olga said.

"You can thank our Master being more or less built for this." Medea said. "Her abilities are more or less specialized for summoning and maintaining Heroic Spirits."

"I overheard Tohsaka suggest something like that. So that _is_ the case."

"Indeed. Think of this way: If you or Tohsaka could supply a single Servant with thirty units of power, then Master supplies us with fifteen units each while only expending the energy equivalent to just supplying one Servant." Medea explained. "While we would be more powerful individually with another Master, she can have multiple Servants in battle at once while allowing Tohsaka or you to use your energy for other things."

Olga didn't say anything, but the rather dark look on her face spoke volumes. ' _This random girl gets to be some super-Master while I can't even summon a Servant?_ ' She mentally questioned, before shaking her head. She can lament how the world is mocking her later.

* * *

They reached the temple not long after, where Archer was already waiting for them. And immediately fired a barrage of arrows that Mash had to block.

"I'll take care of Archer here." Cu said, stepping forward. "You'll be better off not wasting your stamina before the main event."

As the others ran on ahead toward where the Greater Grail resided, Archer jumped down from his perch. "As overconfident as ever. No matter what Class you manifest in, that stays consistent."

It was the same Archer that took part in the Fifth Holy Grail War in the proper history, the Heroic Spirit EMIYA. He had abandoned his red coat, but he otherwise looked about the same.

"What can I say? I'm a creature of habit." Cu remarked, shrugging. Archer immediately fired a Broken Phantasm arrow, which was narrowly dodged by the Irish hero.

"You're lucky that I want that boy alive." Archer said, taking aim. The two began circling around the courtyard, weapons trained on each other. "If I could get my hands on him..."

"Whatever you're planning, it ain't happening."

A fireball shot out of Cu's staff, meeting an arrow from Archer and exploding between them.

* * *

The team arrived in the cave where the Greater Grail resided, with its current owner standing before them.

It was Saber, the very Saber that was Shirou's Servant in the Fifth Holy Grail War. Her armor had been stained black by the Grail's corruption, her skin was paler, her eyes were gold, but it was still Saber.

"It really is you, Saber." Shirou said.

Saber was quiet for a few moments. "Shirou." She said, raising her sword.

"Saber, you don't have to-"

"Shirou. You and I both know that words will not sway me. Nor will anything I say sway you."

Shirou smiled, projecting Kanshou and Bakuya. "Yeah, I suppose you're right."

"Now, come at me. I can tell you're here to take the Holy Grail and restore this Singularity. Show me that you're strong enough to do so. All of you, come at me!"

Shirou and Saber lunged, meeting each other with their blades. Kanshou and Bakuya cracked under the strain, shattering after Saber pushed harder. Shirou projected a new pair, parrying her follow-up attack at the cost of shattering them as well. In one fluid motion, he projected replacements and swung Kanshou at Saber.

Her cursed sacred sword destroyed the sword in one strike, and Saber immediately followed with a counterattack of her own. At least, that was her plan. Instead, Mash charged into the fray and slammed her shield into Saber. The corrupted Servant skidded across the ground, planting her sword to stop herself.

Saber's eyes widened slightly upon sighting Mash's shield, but she didn't say a word. She simply raised her sword and prepared for the next attack.

* * *

A Broken Phantasm arrow screeched through the air on its way to its target, only to vanish just before contact.

Cu Chulainn had warped it away using a variant of his teacher's Gate of Skye. It wasn't useful for trying to send Archer to the void or anything of the sort, but it worked wonders for neutralizing projectiles.

Archer changed tactics, projecting Kanshou and Bakuya and closing the distance. Cu blocked the first strike with his staff, using his free hand to inscribe a rune in the air and blast Archer point-blank with a fireball. Archer barely managed to pull back one of his swords to block it, still getting burnt for his trouble. Cu went onto the offensive, using his staff and runes in tandem to keep the pressure on.

Archer managed to get out of Cu's physical range for a moment, throwing his swords to prevent his opponent from pursuing. He projected another pair, throwing them as well, before projecting a third and final pair in preparation for his next attack.

Tripled Linked Crane Wings. An inescapable offense that no hero could dodge. Even with Cu's tricks, he couldn't escape this one easily.

So he didn't. At least, he wasn't trying to dodge it. Instead, he shot off a pair of fireballs. The first was to destroy a sword to open up an escape route. Even with one blade missing, the attack would still be difficult to break out of. Hence why Cu aimed the second directly at Archer, forcing him to slow down as he dodged it.

This instant of hesitation was all Cu needed to win. An opening to activate his Noble Phantasm and end this.

"Burn them completely, giant of all trees." He uttered, as _it_ rose up from behind Archer. " _Wicker Man_!"

* * *

Saber shattered Kanshou, getting ready for a follow up only to get struck by Mash's shield. While neither Shirou nor Mash had the ability to best Saber in a one on one duel, the two together could at least keep Saber off-balance and wear her down over time. Mash blocked Saber's counterattack, Shirou coming in from the side to try and flank Saber.

Dark energy burst from the corrupted holy sword, blowing them away. Mash tumbled across the ground, managing to get back on her feet just before she could crash into Ritsuka.

Saber raised her sword to the sky, preparing for a full-force blast of her Noble Phantasm aimed at Mash and Ritsuka.

Mash planted her shield. There was no way to dodge a Noble Phantasm like this, not in these conditions. Shirou was still down and Saber's Magic Resistance was too high for anyone else to do anything. So all she could do was use her shield for what is was made for.

" _Excalibur Morgan_!"

Saber swung her sword, unleashing a blast of dark power upon them.

As it met Mash's shield, she felt her legs buckle under the strain. Compared to what she to defend against before, this was in a league of its own. Even still, she had to protect her Master. So she had no intentions of losing.

Ritsuka grabbed Mash's hand, giving her a warm smile. "I believe in you, Mash." She said, using her first Command Spell ever. Whether it was on purpose or not, it gave Mash the boost she needed from its mana.

The shield Mash held released a burst of energy, which pushed Saber's Noble Phantasm right back at her; forcing the corrupted Servant to stop her attack.

"That shield... it really is the same one. What is your name?" Saber asked.

"Mash Kyrielight." Mash answered, clearly exhausted. She couldn't take another blast from Excalibur Morgan, even if Ritsuka used a second Command Spell to boost her power.

"Very well, Mash Kyrielight. Your strength is commendable. However, you do not have the power necessary to correct the course of history." Saber raised her sword again, preparing for a second Excalibur Morgan.

"Maybe they don't have the power on their own," A voice said, coming from behind Saber. It was Cu Chulainn, standing atop an enormous wicker golem. "But that's what they got me for! Wicker Man, burn her to cinders!"

Space froze around Saber, courtesy of Medea, allowing the Wicker Man to grab Saber and shove her into its belly. It burst into flame, incinerating Saber. It might have been Shirou's imagination, but he swore he saw just the faintest hint of a proud smile on her face as she turned to ash.

The battle was finally over. Ritsuka collapsed onto her knees, exhausted. She hadn't even thrown a punch and she felt like she had ran a marathon.

Cu Chulainn laughed, noticing the particles of light falling off him. "Sorry, but I guess this is it for me. Try to summon again if you're in a pinch. Preferably as a Lancer, but I'd take another run as a Caster if it means a good fight."

Ritsuka gave him a thumbs-up as he faded away.

Olga walked over to Ritsuka, offering a hand to help her up. "You did good, Fujimaru." She said.

Ritsuka took the Director's hand, standing up with her help. "Thanks. I guess even you compliment people on occasion."

Olga pulled her hand away, crossing her arms. "Don't push your luck."

Ritsuka sighed. "Well, we won, right? So, what's left?"

"Why, just one thing." A man said, standing on the other end of the cave. He was wearing a top hat and a green suit

"Lev!" Olga exclaimed, surprised to see the man. Ritsuka tilted her head in confusion, silently asking who he was.

"Ah, yes, Olga Marie Animusphere." Lev's words made Ritsuka's blood run cold. His tone didn't sound like that of a friend meeting another friend.

It sounded like a killer speaking to his victim.

"Director, don't approach him!" Mash called out, catching on to what was going to happen as quickly as her Master did.

"I'm impressed. Not only did you survive the bombs I set, Mash, but you managed to catch on to my plans." Lev said, raising a hand. Olga floated into the air, realization dawning on her face as to what happened.

"You... you were the one behind the bombing?" Olga questioned.

"Indeed. It was so easy to pull it off too. Not a single one of you suspected I would be a saboteur. It's a shame you didn't die in the blast, Olga Marie Animusphere, but we can correct that mistake here and now." A portal opened up in the air in front of Olga.

It led to CHALDEAS, a device that Chaldea used in tandem with SHEBA to determine the state of humanity in the future.

"It's... red? Then, that would mean..." Olga said, only for Lev to interrupt her.

"Yes. The Incineration of Humanity. Humanity past the year 2018 will no longer exist, on orders of my master. Now, what do you think would happen if I were to throw you into CHALDEAS?" Lev asked, slowly dragging Olga into the portal.

Shirou attempted to rush in to help, only for Rin to hold him back.

"He's going to kill you if you try to interfere." Rin said. Shirou still struggled in her grip, trying to figure out a way to save Olga.

Ritsuka and Mash were both frozen on the spot, while Medea simply smiled.

"No no no no no no no- Please no!" Olga babbled, desperately flailing in an attempt to free herself. "Please, I'm begging you! I- I never got accomplish anything, please I just want to live..." She trailed off as she felt the heat of CHALDEAS, realizing that the end was near. She started sobbing, accepting what was to happen.

The scream Ritsuka heard as Olga Marie Animusphere burned on CHALDEAS was one she would never forget.

Lev closed the portal, turning his attention to the others. "Now, as for the rest of you... You will be spared. There are seven more Singularities you will have to try to fix if you're so desperate to stop the Incineration of Humanity, and they will kill you without me having to lift a finger." Lev warped away.

About a minute passed in silence, before Medea started laughing.

" _What are you laughing about_?" Rin hissed, getting up in preparation to beat the tar out of Caster.

"I'm just impressed by how foolish that man was." Medea parted her cloak to reveal one very confused Olga Marie Animusphere. "He didn't even think that the woman he killed might have been a fake."

"Director!" Mash said, rushing over to Olga to check on her. "Are you all right?"

"As far as I can tell." Olga answered.

"Good job, Caster!" Ritsuka shouted from where she was sitting, barely able to muster the energy for a thumbs-up. "Can we go home now? I'm tired."

"There's just one thing left to do." Olga pointed to where Saber had been killed, where a golden cup laid. "If we can retrieve the Holy Grail, then the Singularity will be restored."

"Understood. Retrieving Holy Grail." Mash stated. The Grail floated into the air, before entering Mash's shield.

* * *

They returned to Chaldea (which was now thankfully not on fire), utterly exhausted. 

Doctor Roman ran over to them to check if anybody needed treatment.

"Hey, Roman." Ritsuka mumbled. "I'm gonna go to sleep now..." And then she passed out, only barely being caught by Mash.

Olga sighed. "I suggest we get her to the infirmary. She's probably not injured, but I am _not_ allowing another member of Chaldea to die on my watch. Tohsaka, Emiya, we can discuss our plans going forward once she recovers. Get some rest."

Olga Marie Animusphere left, heading to her office.

She read through a report sitting on desk, detailing the casualties of the bombing. It was all as Doctor Roman said, most of Chaldea's staff was either dead or in cryostasis due to severe injury. 

"Lev... _why_?" She quietly asked, tears running down her face.


End file.
